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Watch Major Tennis Event: Indexed by Ethnicity
Storefront windows can now morph into ad screens
Thanks to cutting-edge ‘Window F/X’ technology imported from Europe, Boombox Marketing’s Optiadmedia division has begun transforming storefront windows in downtown Toronto into screen ads for whatever is being sold. Almost like holograms or floating screens, the ads are invisible from inside, but attention grabbers for passersby 24/7, even in bright sunlight.
‘Home builders, for instance, can run virtual tours of the residences they’re selling on the windows of their sales centres even when they’re closed,’ explains Optiadmedia’s Michael Dellios – who adds that touchscreen capabilities allow potential customers to literally window shop whether a store is open or is closed.
CAB president pushes policy-makers to ponder ‘Me Media’
Take a look at Pandora.com, where users can find their own ‘personal DJ.’ Type in a song or an artist and the website designs a radio station based on that initial hint of taste. ‘And after you do that, ask yourself if it makes any sense for the CRTC to continue to regulate commercial radio…’
That’s one of the big questions Canadian Association of Broadcasters president Glenn O’Farrell posed last week to the Broadcast Executives Society. Urging those attending to consider this and other stats and anecdotes, he painted a picture of what a regulated industry is up against in an increasingly unregulated world of fragmented content distribution. O’Farrell welcomed a government review of the television landscape, but served up cautionary warnings that, in order for Canadian content to thrive, policy-makers need to think long and hard about the ‘unprecedented challenges to the old order.’ In pursuit of today’s ‘audience of one,’ he said, broadcasters are forced to compete with one hand tied behind their backs.
IAB: Internet ad spending continues to climb
Internet ad revenue in the US for the first six months of this year skyrocketed to $7.9 billion US, a record 37% increase over the same period last year. More than half of the spending – $4.1 billion US – was attributed to Q2 alone. The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) released the report yesterday as part of the MIXX Conference and Expo in New York, which is the official interactive event of Advertising Week 2006.
The report shows that choice of ad formats hasn’t changed much over the past year in the US. Search continues to get the bulk of the dollars (40%), with classifieds and referrals/lead generation each showing slight 2% increases. Display-related advertising garnered 31% of the spending, down by 3% from the previous year.
The picture is slightly different than the latest IAB Canada findings (2005) that show spending on display-related ads to be 41% and search advertising at 35% – although the Canadian market seems to be moving in the same direction as the US, since in 2004 display grabbed 45% of total revenues and search just 30%.
These numbers were released in July when IAB Canada announced that final ad revenue for 2005 reached $562 million – a 54% increase over the previous year – with 22% of the total spend targeted to the French Canadian market. At the same time, IAB projected that Internet ad revenue in this country would climb to more than $801 million this year. In the US, CPM pricing continues to be the predominant choice for buyers and sellers, although results-based deals gained 7% over the same period a year ago.
Some highlights from the US Advertising Revenue Report include:
Who is where?
Talk about an ideal fit. To help excite a youthful target group for the new season of Doctor Who (premiering October 9 at 9 p.m. EST), CBC has partnered with THE MAGAZINE – Canada’s only monthly, retail youth magazine – to provide a primer on the world’s longest running sci-fi series. With the latest version of the Time Lord on its cover, the monthly will hit check-out counters in over 15,000 retail locations nationally, and be mailed to a paid subscription base of 19,000, on October 1.
Along with manga, contests, interviews, dvds, tv, video games, books, music and even pix of readers’ pets, the Toronto-based magazine, which is published by Community Programs Group, a division of Markplan, carries advertising for a broad variety of products and services with kid appeal.
BBM Media Snapshot: Who wagers money on horse racing?
* 1.2 million Canadians (4%) wagered money on horse races at least once during the past 12 months.
* Ontarians are more likely to wager on horse racing (1.6 times the national average).
* People who regularly wager on horse racing are more likely to be male (59%).
* 17% have a personal yearly income of $80,000 or more, twice the national average.
* 10% live in condominiums (1.6 times the national average).
* People who wager on horse races are almost twice as likely to drink 10 or more bottles/glasses of beer during the past 7 days.
* The top three media for people who wager on horse races are: TV (89%), radio (86%) and Internet (64%).
* People who wager on horse races are twice as likely, when compared to the Canadian average, to select golf as one of their top TV program types watched during an average week.
Source: BBM RTS Canada Spring ’06, individuals 12+
The preceding information is from BBM RTS, a syndicated consumer-media survey of over 60,000 Canadians, conducted twice a year by BBM Analytics. For more information, contact Craig Dorning of BBM Analytics: cdorning@bbmanalytics.ca.
Unilever pushes Lipton Sidekicks through Corus TV contest
Unilever’s Lipton Sidekicks is reaching out to moms and kids as co-sponsor of a Corus Television contest campaign set to coincide with a new season of the popular Treehouse series This is Daniel Cook and the premiere launch of This is Emily Yeung.
The contest partnership, brokered by PHD Canada, offers two grand prize winners the chance to star in their own mini-episodes of the This is series, the choice of a helicopter ride, a behind-the-scenes trip to the zoo, or building a robot, plus $5,000 spending money when their families arrive in Toronto. In addition, 50 secondary prize packs include tools for kids to create their own adventures at home, along with This is Daniel Cook DVDs, soft-cover books, special inspirational messages from Daniel Cook and Emily Yeung, and T-shirts.
OUTtv offers free previews leading up to ‘Coming Out Day’
Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender programming is ‘coming out’ for free as OUTtv launches a free preview of its new fall schedule this week. From Sept. 28 to October 13, OUTtv’s fall line-up – including five new original series and the much-anticipated Canadian debut of Dante’s Cove – will be available on Bell ExpressVu, Videotron, Cogeco Cable and Source Cable.
The free offering coincides with the celebration of Coming Out Day across North America. To mark the occasion, OUTtv will air a special day of programming featuring coming out stories from different families and cultures, documentaries and movies. The fall schedule also includes the second season of Cover Guy, the popular male model hunt series. Another offering, Let’s Shop, takes viewers to the world’s shopping hot spots. Returning programs include the world’s first Gay and Lesbian marriage show, I Now Pronounce You, and Picture This, which takes couples through their wish list of renovation plans.
‘We are very excited about bringing Dante’s Cove to Canada – a show which is a GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender) favorite in the USA,’ says OUTtv VP programming and marketing Wendy Donnan. It’s also a show our audience has been voting for!’ OUTtv is owned by a consortium of shareholders, including Shavick Entertainment, Peace Point Entertainment Group, Re:Source Media, Score Media and Pink Triangle Press, Canada’s largest and longest running gay and lesbian media group.
Claassen elected CMDC president
Bruce Claassen, CEO of Genesis Media was elected president of the Canadian Media Directors’ Council at the organization’s recent annual meeting. Returned to the board were Sunni Boot (ZenithOptimedia Canada), Cathy Collier (Cossette Media), Hugh Dow (M2 Universal), Cynthia Fleming (Carat Canada), David Harrison (PHD Canada), Lorraine Hughes (OMD Canada), Gerardo Marinas (MPG maxxmedia), Anne Myers (OMD Canada), Karen Nayler (Mindshare Canada), Jeanne Northcote (MBS/The Media Company), Ruth Smith (Axmith McIntyre Wicht), Penny Stevens (Media Experts), Jeffery Thibodeau (Sharpe Blackmore Euro RSCG), Theresa Treutler (Doner Canada) and Michael Walker (The Walker Media Group). Newly elected to the CMDC board were Sarah Ivey (Initiative Media) and Lauren Richards (Starcom Mediavest Group).
Airborne hires Beloff to drive branded mobile promotions
Montreal-based Airborne Entertainment, a subsidiary of CYBIRD Co., has hired marketing & promotions vet Charles ‘Skip’ Beloff as VP of mobile promotions. He was formerly EVP at digital signage company Dan Media, and spent more than 15 years as a producer for CFCF TV.
More CGM: Canada.com lets users put their faves on the map
Users of the Toronto and Vancouver city guides on Canada.com can literally put their favourite places on the map – along with pics, video and opinions – as part of a Canada MediaWorks partnership with Platial, an Oregon-based company that’s currently building an interactive atlas with user-generated features.
Mario Alfano, senior VP for CanWest MediaWorks Interactive, tells Media in Canada that ‘in order for this to become a useful tool, it has to be populated. We’re letting the early adopters go in and make the content richer.’ Future branding and sponsorship opportunities could come in the form of sponsored weekly themes such as favourite pet shops or entertainment venues. Flags and tags could also be useful in generating superimposed maps targeting – for example, hikers, bikers or mothers in search of kid-friendly coffee shops. ‘There’s definitely an opportunity here for marketers to bring a lot of good will,’ says Alfano.
Platial CEO Di-Ann Eisnor says that results for what she calls ‘the citizen-driven experiments’ in the two cities will be reviewed within one month. ‘Obviously, if they’re positive, then we’d like to have a footprint wherever Canada.com is.’ Monthly site traffic averages 3.55 million unique visitors.
Flashlight Comics aims to take sponsors to school
Flashlight Comics, a free anthology of literacy-boosting comics by Ottawa’s IronLungFish Press, is aiming for a December launch into schools across Canada, and offering selected national and regional sponsors and advertisers ‘unprecedented distribution and unparalleled exposure,’ says owner and publisher Dave Whelen – who is presenting the opportunity to media buyers in Toronto this month.
Marketers involved with child-positive and healthy products, services and events (a list of criteria is posted on the publication’s website) will be offered the services of a core team of illustrators to help adapt spot ads into comic form.
Shooting for readership of 500,000 or more in the first issue, Whelen says he’s ‘about 10% there. We just signed on our 400th school.’ In Whelen’s perfect world, Canada’s 11,000 elementary schools (a potential total audience of 2.1 million) would receive Flashlight Comics six times a year.
Talk to MiC
Hey, Media in Canada readers, share your ideas with us. ‘The New Plan’ showcases your savviest media campaigns, ones that exemplify the way forward in the new mediaverse. ‘What’s on your mind?’ is for quick and pithy raves – like M2 Universal president Hugh Dow’s recent thumbs up about the Toronto Star‘s new downloadable edition, or Zenith Optimedia prexy/CEO Sunni Boot’s rant about the probable fate of serials. Got it? OK, ball’s in your court. Email our staff writer, Terry Poulton (tpoulton@brunico.com) or phone her (416.408.2300 x252).
Industry heavyweights join forces in Ad ROI Inc.
Four partners with long-time ties to the world of brand communications are joining forces to form Ad ROI Inc. On the list of heavyweights are Dan Reynolds, Adrian Sark, Chris Coleman and Rupert Brendon. The foursome will coach advertisers and agencies on how to increase their ROI in brand communications, offering training and proprietary services addressing everything from accountability and performance evaluation to relationship management and productivity.
Brendon, who will join Ad ROI when he officially steps down from his post as president and CEO of the Institute of Communications and Advertising in January 2007, says the partnership will ‘help people with the crucial decisions’ in pumping up ROI.
The new company is built on the foundation of Sark & Reynolds. Sark, one of the CASSIES founders, said the new alliance is ‘a natural evolution for all of us because we have had a personal and professional association for over 30 years. I was Rupert’s client at P&G. Later, Chris Coleman and I created a brand asset management system at Canada’s largest confectionary company, and for the last 10 years, Dan Reynolds and I have consulted with many of Canada’s largest advertisers.’
